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TurnKey Linux Backup and Migration (TKLBAM)

New to TKLBAM? Take the tour first for a quick overview and screenshots.

Smart automated backup and restore

TKLBAM is GPL3 licensed free software built on top of Duplicity which provides an efficient system-level backup of changed files, users, databases and package management state. This system-level backup can be restored automatically on any installation of the same type of virtual appliance, regardless of the underlying hardware or location. The intended result is a functionally equivalent copy of the original system.

It is also designed to assist in migration of data and system configurations between different versions of the same type of virtual appliance though for some applications, additional manual steps, such as a database schema update, may be required to complete migration between versions.

So all the stuff it does prior to using Duplicity is above and beyond!

TKLBAM works best with TurnKey Linux servers as it is preconfigured to back up the relevant areas of the filesystem (depending on which appliance you are using). I haven't used it much on other platforms as basically I don't use other platforms much any more but it now supports Debian and Ubuntu pretty easy (from what I have read) although you'll need to configure it all so it backs up the bits you want backed up...

Also by default TKLBAM uses AWS S3 as it's default backup location, so if you have it linked to a Hub account it gives you a nice UI to see what backups exist, when they ran, whether they were full or incremental, etc.

As for front-end, it has a Webmin module available but otherwise is commandline. As I mentioned, the Hub sort of also provides some 'front end' type functionality although that only applies when you use S3 as the backup target.

Which led to my question as I am looking for a backup system without being a TKL user or having any other afiliation with you guys. If there isn't any more info, I guess I'll have to give it a try...

I was pretty happy until now with duply, also command line and also backing up to S3... I was simply curious about TKLBAM and its features to figure out if it is better or easier or has an interface that's better than duply but the info was kinda sparse.

I just had a look at Duply. Sorry I was confused and just assumed that you meant Duplicity...! After having a look I think that you are right... It appears that TKLBAM and Duply are quite similar. I hadn't ever heard of it before so I can't offer any sort of comparison.

Having only ever used TKLBAM on TKL servers I don't think anything could compare in that context! But I don't know how hard it is to set up a fresh profile. I have always intended to get TKLBAM to back up my Debian desktop but never got around to it so far...

Perhaps have a look in the forums. I recall that there was at least one guy on there using it to backup a heaps of Debian/Ubuntu machines...

Came across this thread quite a bit late. TKLBAM and Duply both wrap around Duplicity but Duply is a much thinner wrapper. It basically just improves the command line usability of Duplicity a bit.

TKLBAM on the other hand, was designed as a system-level backup/restore tool. For starters it doesn't just backup directories/files, it backs up and automatically restores databases, ownership, users/groups, etc. The goal is for restores to be as automatic as possible, so post-restore you get something much closer to a working system rather than just a collection of files you have to massage into place as with a normal backup.

With Duply you necessarily have to configure what files/directories you want backed up. TKLBAM downloads a system profile that contains a list of default directories to back up. You can tweak/override these defaults in /etc/tklbam/overrides but out of the box it already does what you want.

When you use it on a TurnKey system the profile also includes timestamps of the files in the image version so when it backs up a specific directory (e.g., /etc) it will only backup files within /etc that have changed since installation. This makes migrating your changes to a different/newer system easier.

And yes, there is a web interface for TKLBAM via a webmin module that's integrated into TurnKey by default but which you could install yourself on another system. Yadda yadda.